Leverage your community

Digital marketing and the possibilities of interaction that social networks offer us are incalculable, but they must be combined with other types of marketing to create a robust and diverse strategy. We must repeat the message through all the channels at our disposal.

Fostering a relationship with the community you serve is a win-win action. Detecting a problem and solving it causes a positive impact on society and your business benefits as well, since you strengthen your image and reputation, which has an impact on the development of your brand.

When planning these actions always remember that all the activities you do should clearly relate to your image as a company and around your potential customers.

Benefits of engaging with your community

Increase your visibility: Extend your reach to people who otherwise would not have known about your brand.

Meet other leaders in your community: You establish cordial relationships with business and industry leaders who can see firsthand how you work, creating the basis for possible collaborations down the road.

You don't have to do direct marketing: Interacting with your neighbors and other business leaders in your community creates awareness of your products and services without having to sell them directly.

Word of mouth: Thanks to your service and your management, people will voluntarily tell others about you and your business, becoming ambassadors of your brand.

Increased sales: The more word gets out, the more likely it is that potential customers will respond, thanks to the continuous flow of good referrals.

You do your bit: You're not just making a donation, you're making a commitment, genuinely engaging with people and helping to solve problems. It's important to society and uplifts the community.

What can you do to connect with your community?

Some actions you can take are:

• Make yourself known. Introduce yourself to your neighboring business owners.

• Volunteer with charitable organizations.

• Participate in events. Check out what events they have scheduled for the year.

• Create an event of your own.

• Sponsor a sports team or cultural activity.

• Fund a scholarship for students.

• Get involved with schools and participate in educational programs.

• Participate in local fairs.

• Contribute your knowledge and skills to improve some aspect of the community.

Strategies for working in your community

Build your support network: This is a good way to make new relationships and create awareness of your business. Create a group of like-minded businesses in your community (preferably non-competitive) where everyone knows each other's work in depth. A group where you can collaborate, create alliances and promote each other, referring customers back and forth.

Distribute promotional products: This is a very effective way to increase your brand visibility through your logo or a creative product that reinforces the mission of your business. The options available for these items are endless, but make sure it is not only appealing or useful, but also memorable.

Offer content: The results of your activities and what's going on in your community can be valuable information for content creators in your area such as bloggers, journalists and influencers. As long as the content is interesting, fresh and thought-provoking, they will be happy to collaborate and it is a good way to multiply your visibility and reach.

Leverage social networks: Keeping track of the activities you do, posting them on your social networks and sharing them with your community members can also multiply your reach as they feel represented. In addition, there are networks such as Meetup, which allow you to post events and reach everyone who shares an interest in the topic.

To reach members of your community you need to be aware of the opportunities that present themselves, use creative ideas and have a real impact. Remember that it is about the benefit you can bring as a business. It is best to use different channels at the same time and get your message across in different ways. This will ensure greater reach and influence.

Combine the different types of marketing you have learned, both traditional and digital, to attract people who will sooner rather than later appreciate what you offer and your brand. It is the first step in converting leads to customers. It is an ongoing process that takes more effort than resources, but can be very rewarding and beneficial for all parties involved.